Australian food ministers agree to policy initiatives

The Australia and New Zealand Food Regulation Ministerial Council - the body responsible for food policy development in Australia and New Zealand - met in Perth on Friday, resulting in a number of important policy decisions concerning maximum residue levels, ethylene oxide, GM food labelling and iodine deficiency.

Firstly, the Ministerial Council agreed to a process to harmonise the Maximum Residue Level (MRL) setting procedures of the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority and Food Standards Australia New Zealand. Its ultimate aim is to establish one set of published MRLs that regulate safe food and safe chemical use in agriculture.

The agreed approach is based on the harmonisation of administrative processes, monitoring and review of the new harmonised assessment process and, subject to satisfaction with the new processes, the issuing of a single MRL, said the council.

Meanwhile, the phase-out of Ethylene Oxide (EtO) use in Australia for the treatment of herbs and spices is now complete, according to the council. The Ministerial Council says it has been assured that 100 per cent of the Australian Food and Grocery Council's products - representing 99 per cent of trade by volume sold in Australia - are no longer treated with EtO. This, it says, has been achieved through the use of steam sterilisation, batch selection and good manufacturing practice.

In addition it added that numerous mechanisms have been used to ensure that small producers and importers of herbs and spices, representing the remaining 1 per cent of trade by volume sold in Australia, are also aware of their responsibilities relating to the phase-out of EtO.

When the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Council agreed to a new labelling regime for genetically modified (GM) foods in December 2000, Australia and New Zealand were among the first countries in the world to implement GM food labelling requirements. Ministers had therefore requested that the new requirements be reviewed in three years to assess what has happened internationally.

The Ministerial Council agreed on Friday to several terms of reference and consultation questions for the review. This included the decision that Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) will conduct the review and prepare a report for the Australia New Zealand Food Regulation Ministerial Council.

As part of this process, FSANZ​ will prepare a review of GM food labelling legislation or regulation internationally (proposed and existing), with a particular focus on the EU, USA, Canada, and APEC countries. It will then compare the current Australian/New Zealand requirements for GM food labelling with the requirements of these countries.

It will also examine consumer attitudes in relation to the labelling and acceptance of GM foods, where they have been publicly reported in both Australia/New Zealand and the fore-mentioned countries.

Finally, in addition to summarising developments in the Codex Alimentarius in respect of a standard for the labelling of GM food, FSANZ will be charged with preparing - in association with New Zealand Food Safety Authority and Australian state and Territory authorities - a summary of implementation of the GM food labelling standard in Australia and New Zealand and report on compliance and enforcement with the Standard to date.

The last decision concerned iodine deficiency. In light of the progress undertaken in Tasmania in relation to the Tasmanian Iodine Supplementation Program and the emerging evidence of mild iodine deficiency in Australia and New Zealand, the Ministers said they were supportive of the implementation of a national iodine nutrition study which they hoped would provide further evidence of any emerging deficiencies.